"Gwine to Run All Night, or De Camptown Races" (popularly known simply as "Camptown Races") is a
minstrel song by
Stephen Foster
Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826January 13, 1864), known also as "the father of American music", was an American composer known primarily for his parlour and minstrel music during the Romantic period. He wrote more than 200 songs, inc ...
(1826–1864). () It was published in February 1850 by
F. D. Benteen of
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, and Benteen published a different version with guitar accompaniment in 1852 under the title "The Celebrated Ethiopian Song/Camptown Races". The song quickly entered the realm of popular Americana.
Louis Moreau Gottschalk
Louis Moreau Gottschalk (May 8, 1829 – December 18, 1869) was an American composer and pianist, best known as a virtuoso performer of his own romantic piano works. He spent most of his working career outside the United States.
Life and ca ...
(1829–1869) quotes the melody in his virtuoso piano work
Grotesque Fantasie, the Banjo, op. 15 published in 1855. In 1909, composer
Charles Ives incorporated the tune and other vernacular American melodies into his orchestral
Symphony No. 2.
First stanza
Reception
![Christy Minstrels (Boston Public Library)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Christy_Minstrels_%28Boston_Public_Library%29.jpg)
Richard Jackson was curator of the Americana Collection at
New York Public Library; he writes:
Foster quite specifically tailored the song for use on the minstrel stage. He composed it as a piece for solo voice with group interjections and refrain ... his dialect verses have all the wild exaggeration and rough charm of folk tale as well as some of his most vivid imagery ... Together with "Oh! Susanna
"Oh! Susanna" is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster (1826–1864), first published in 1848. It is among the most popular American songs ever written. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all tim ...
", "Camptown Races" is one of the gems of the minstrel era."[Richard Jackson (ed.). 1974. ''Stephen Foster Song Book: original sheet music of 40 songs''. Courier Dover Publications. p. 174.]
In ''The Americana Song Reader'', William Emmett Studwell writes that the song was introduced by the
Christy Minstrels, noting that Foster's "nonsense lyrics are much of the charm of this bouncy and enduring bit of Americana", and the song was a big hit with minstrel troupes throughout the country. Foster's music was used for derivatives that include "Banks of the Sacramento", "A Capital Ship" (1875), and a pro-Lincoln parody introduced during the
1860 presidential campaign.
Richard Crawford observes in ''America's Musical Life'' that the song resembles
Dan Emmett's "
Old Dan Tucker", and he suggests that Foster used Emmett's piece as a model. Both songs feature contrast between a high instrumental register with a low vocal one, comic exaggeration, hyperbole, verse and refrain, call and response, and syncopation. However, Foster's melody is "jaunty and tuneful" while Emmett's is "driven and aggressive". Crawford points out that the differences in the two songs represent two different musical styles, as well as a shift in minstrelsy from the rough spirit and "muscular, unlyrical music" of the 1840s, to a more genteel spirit and lyricism with an expanding repertoire that included sad songs, sentimental and love songs, and parodies of opera. Crawford explains that, by mid-century, the "noisy, impromptu entertainments" characteristic of Dan Emmett and the
Virginia Minstrels
The Virginia Minstrels or Virginia Serenaders was a group of 19th-century American entertainers who helped invent the entertainment form known as the minstrel show. Led by Dan Emmett, the original lineup consisted of Emmett, Billy Whitlock, ...
were passé and the minstrel stage was changing to a "restrained and balanced kind of spectacle".
![Camptown Keystone Marker](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Camptown_Keystone_Marker.jpg)
Historians cite the village of
Camptown, Pennsylvania as the basis for the song, located in the mountains of northeast Pennsylvania. The races were resumed nearby in 1965 as a footrace, without horses. The Pennsylvania Historical Society confirmed that Foster traveled through the small town and afterwards wrote the song. The Bradford County Historical Society documents Foster attending school in nearby Towanda and Athens in 1840 and 1841. The schools were located from the racetrack. The current annual running of the Camptown Races was replaced by a track covering rough lumbering trails.
The song was the impetus for renaming Camptown, a village of
Clinton Township, Essex County, New Jersey
Clinton Township was a township located in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, which existed from 1834 to 1902.
Clinton Township was created on April 14, 1834, from portions of Elizabeth Township, Newark Township, Orange Township and Uni ...
. When the new ballad was published in 1850, some residents of the village were mortified to be associated with the bawdiness in song. The wife of the local postmaster suggested
Irvington, to commemorate writer
Washington Irving
Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...
, which was adopted in 1852.
Recordings
In one of the most widely familiar uses of "Camptown Races" in popular culture, the ''
Looney Tunes'' and ''
Merrie Melodies'' cartoon character
Foghorn Leghorn
Foghorn Leghorn is a cartoon rooster who appears in ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoons and films from Warner Bros. Animation. He was created by Robert McKimson, and starred in 29 cartoons from 1946 to 1964 in the golden age of A ...
frequently hums the tune to himself (breaking into song only for the "Doo-Dah" refrain) in most of the 28 cartoons the character appears in, produced between 1946 and 1963. Occasionally, he would also sing his own lyrics if they were related to what he was doing at the moment. Leghorn was not based on a minstrel character, but on
Kenny Delmar
Kenneth Howard Delmar (born Kenneth Frederick Fay Howard,
'' 's popular radio character, the overbearing Southerner
Senator Claghorn
Senator Beauregard Claghorn was a popular fictional radio character on the " Allen's Alley" segment of ''The Fred Allen Show'', beginning in 1945. Succeeding the vaguely similar but much less popular Senator Bloat from the earliest "Allen's Alley ...
.
The song was revived on a number of occasions in the twentieth century with recordings by
Bing Crosby (recorded December 9, 1940),
Johnny Mercer (1945),
Al Jolson
Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...
(recorded July 17, 1950),
Julie London (included in her album ''
Swing Me an Old Song
''Swing Me an Old Song'' is an LP album by Julie London, released by Liberty Records under catalog numbers LRP-3119 (monaural) and LST-7119 (stereophonic) in 1959. The accompaniment was by Jimmy Rowles and his Orchestra.
Track listing
Person ...
'' – 1959), and
Frankie Laine (included in his album ''Deuces Wild'' – 1961).
Country music singer
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted m ...
recorded the song in 1970 with his group,
The First Edition, on their album ''
Tell It All Brother
''Tell It All Brother'' is the sixth album by Kenny Rogers & The First Edition, released in 1970 by Reprise Records. It reached #61 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Two singles were released and also charted, including the title track which reached # ...
'' under the title of "Camptown Ladies".
In popular culture
* "
Two World Wars and One World Cup" is a
football song
A football chant or terrace chant is form of vocalisation performed by supporters of association football, typically during football matches. Football chanting is an expression of collective identity, most often used by fans to express their p ...
sung by supporters of the
England national football team
The England national football team has represented England in international football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by The Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in England, which is affilia ...
to the tune of "Camptown Races" as part of the
England–Germany football rivalry.
*
Steve Austin
Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...
sang this song to
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the ...
on the July 12th 2001 edition of WWF
Smackdown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes sim ...
* The song was quoted briefly in the background music in a segment from the
2020 Summer Olympics opening ceremony where 50 Olympic pictograms were depicted by actors in blue suits. "Camptown Races" is briefly heard when depicting the pictograms for the
Equestrian
The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse".
Horseback riding (or Riding in British English)
Examples of this are:
* Equestrian sports
*Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...
events; Dressage, Eventing, and Jumping.
Film
* 1938 ''
Holiday'' – played on banjo by
Lew Ayres
Lewis Frederick Ayres III (December 28, 1908 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor whose film and television career spanned 65 years. He is best known for starring as German soldier Paul Bäumer in the film '' All Quiet on the Western Fr ...
and sung by Lew Ayres,
Katharine Hepburn,
Jean Dixon
Jean Dixon (born Jean Jacques; July 14, 1893 – February 12, 1981) was an American stage and film actress.
Early years
Dixon was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. She attended St. Margaret's School in Waterbury, and was also educated i ...
and
Edward Everett Horton
Edward Everett Horton Jr. (March 18, 1886 – September 29, 1970) was an American character actor. He had a long career in film, theater, radio, television, and voice work for animated cartoons.
Early life
Horton was born in Kings County ...
.
* 1939 ''
Swanee River'' – sung by Al Jolson
* 1950 ''
Riding High'' – sung by Bing Crosby,
Coleen Gray
Coleen Gray (born Doris Bernice Jensen; October 23, 1922 – August 3, 2015) was an American actress. She was best known for her roles in the films '' Nightmare Alley'' (1947), '' Red River'' (1948), and Stanley Kubrick's '' The Killing'' ...
,
Clarence Muse
Clarence Muse (October 14, 1889 – October 13, 1979) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, singer, and composer. He was the first African American to appear in a starring role in a film, 1929's ''Hearts in Dixie''. He acted for ...
, and children
* 1952
O. Henry's Full House
''O. Henry's Full House'' is a 1952 American anthology film made by 20th Century Fox, consisting of five films, each based on a story by O. Henry.
The film was produced by André Hakim and directed by five directors from five screenplays with di ...
is an anthology film wherein the second segment, "The Clarion Call", based on
O Henry
William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American writer known primarily for his short stories, though he also wrote poetry and non-fiction. His works include "The Gift of the M ...
's 1908 short story of the same name, has a plot involving a Yonkers detective (played by
Dale Robertson
Dayle Lymoine Robertson (July 14, 1923February 27, 2013) was an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the roving investigator Jim Hardie in the television series ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' and railroad owner Ben ...
) tracking down a murderer (played by
Richard Widmark
Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, ''Kiss of Death'' (1947) ...
) with the only clue being a golden pencil inscribed with the words "Camptown Races". The song is sung by Widmark. This segment is directed by
Henry Hathaway
Henry Hathaway (March 13, 1898 – February 11, 1985) was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring Randolph Scott and John Wayne. He directed Gary Cooper in seven films.
Backgrou ...
.
* 1974 ''
Blazing Saddles'' - sung by Lyle
* 1978 ''
Sweet Savage'' - X-rated movie in the style of a Western
* 1982 ''
Creepshow
''Creepshow'' is a 1982 American horror comedy anthology film directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King, making this film his screenwriting debut. The film's ensemble cast includes Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver ...
'' - instrumental only at a slower tempo during the segment "Something to Tide You Over"
* 1987 ''
The Stepfather'' whistled by Jerry Blake (
Terry O'Quinn
Terrance Quinn (born July 15, 1952), known professionally as Terry O'Quinn, is an American actor. He played John Locke on the TV series ''Lost'', the title role in '' The Stepfather'' and '' Stepfather II'', and Peter Watts in ''Millennium'', ...
)
* 1989 ''
Stepfather II
''Stepfather II'' (also known as ''Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy'') is a 1989 American psychological thriller film directed by Jeff Burr and written by John Auerbach. It is a sequel to '' The Stepfather'' (1987) and stars Terry O'Quinn as th ...
'' (aka ''Stepfather II:Make Room for Daddy''), whistled by Jerry Blake/Dr Gene Clifford (
Terry O'Quinn
Terrance Quinn (born July 15, 1952), known professionally as Terry O'Quinn, is an American actor. He played John Locke on the TV series ''Lost'', the title role in '' The Stepfather'' and '' Stepfather II'', and Peter Watts in ''Millennium'', ...
), Todd Grayland (
Jonathan Brandis
Jonathan Gregory Brandis (April 13, 1976 – November 12, 2003) was an American actor. Beginning his career as a child model, Brandis moved on to acting in commercials and subsequently won television and film roles. Brandis made his acting debut ...
) and Sam Watkins (John O'Leary)
* 1992 ''
Stepfather III
''Stepfather III'' (also known as ''Stepfather III: Father's Day'') is a 1992 American thriller film directed and written by Guy Magar. It stars Robert Wightman, Priscilla Barnes, David Tom, and Season Hubley. It is the second sequel to 1987 film ...
'', aka ''Stepfather III : Father's Day'', whistled by Keith Grant (
Robert Wightman)
* 1997 ''Waiting for Guffman'' – sung by
Eugene Levy's character, Dr. Allan Pearl
* 1999 ''
Passion'' – sung by two characters then played on piano by
Richard Roxburgh
Richard Roxburgh (born 23 January 1962) is an Australian actor, writer, producer, and director. He is the recipient of a number of accolades across film, television, and theatre, including three AACTA Awards (including AFI), three Logie Awards, ...
.
* 2004 ''
The Spongebob Squarepants Movie
''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'' is a 2004 American live-action/animated adventure comedy film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. The film was directed, co-written, and produced by series creat ...
'' - heard briefly when the Goofy Goober's restaurant appears.
* 2006 ''
Night at the Museum
''Night at the Museum'' is a 2006 fantasy comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and written by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon. It is based on the 1993 children's book of the same name by Croatian illustrator Milan Trenc. The film had an ense ...
''
* 2010 ''
The King's Speech
''The King's Speech'' is a 2010 British historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Colin Firth plays the future King George VI who, to cope with a stammer, sees Lionel Logue, an Australian speech and language ...
'' – sung by
Colin Firth and
Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. He is known for his eccentric leading man roles on stage and screen. He is among 24 people who have won the Triple Crown of Acting, having received an Academy Award, a Primetime Em ...
.
Television
* 1948 ''
Screen Songs
''Screen Songs'', formerly known as KoKo Song Car-Tunes, are a series of animated cartoons produced at the Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures between 1929 and 1938. Paramount brought back the sing-along cartoons in 1945, n ...
'' appears in the episode "Camptown Races." The episode depicts a cartoon blackface minstrel show with anthropomorphic animals who sing an altered version of the song.
* 1955-1975 ''
Gunsmoke (TV series)
''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...
'' background jingle playing in several episodes on the player piano inside the Long Branch saloon
* 1996 ''
Lisa the Iconoclast
"Lisa the Iconoclast" is the sixteenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 18, 1996. In this episode, Lisa writes an ...
'' sung by Chief Wiggum
* 2000 ''
Disney's Recess'' in episode "Old Folks Home" (S4E23A), Mikey sings this song
* 2012 ''
Dance Like Nobody's Watching (30 Rock)
"Dance Like Nobody's Watching" is the first episode of the sixth season of the American television comedy series '' 30 Rock'', and the 104th overall episode of the series. It was directed by John Riggi, and written by series creator, executive pr ...
'' (S6E1) sung by a contestant on the fictional show America's Kidz Got Singing during the final scene of the episode
* Michael Scott sings this in season 5, episode 9 of
The Office
''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries.
The original series o ...
.
* In ''
Camp Lazlo'', Camp Kidney's Bean Scout Chorus sings it, burping some of the lyrics. Lazlo has trouble with his part, burping "bay".
* In ''
Brickleberry
''Brickleberry'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Waco O'Guin and Roger Black for the basic cable network Comedy Central. Executive produced by O'Guin, Black, and comedian Daniel Tosh, the series follows a group of park rangers ...
'', it was sung by Ethel Anderson while dressed in blackface in season 2, episode 7, "My Way or the Highway".
* In ''
Supernatural'' season 13, Episode 5, Lucifer sings the song to Rowen in order to anger her.
References
External links
"Camptown Races"by
Billy Murray and chorus (1911), sung in the minstrel style
{{Authority control
1850 songs
American folk songs
Blackface minstrel songs
Songs written by Stephen Foster
Public domain music
Songs about horses